ARMED FORCES: Solitude & the Stars

In 1940 the artistic talent of Louis
Patton, then twelve years old, attracted the attention of a West
Hartford, Conn, newspaper. Though frail and shy, Louis seemed
ambitious, told the paper that he was willing to try anything"soda
jerking, maybe"to earn enough money for a trip to Hollywood, where he
wanted to work for Walt Disney. Four years later, when he was 16, Louis
dropped out of high school. Explained his father, Orall Patton: "Louis
couldn't stand the drinking by the high-school boys, especially their
breath."